Some updates on the iPhone Google Voice Uproar I blogged about late Friday night.

There's no app for that!

Not only was the Official Google Voice app rejected by Apple, but other apps that connected to Google Voice such as "VoiceCentral" were ripped from the shelves as well. In the case of VoiceCentral, the app had already been approved by Apple previously and units were being sold over the last 4 months. Apple did not even bother to notify the manufacturer, Riverturn; they found out when a customer complained that they couldn't download the application from the store.

Read Riverturns surprising conversation with an Apple rep who finally called them on the subject. What is Riverturn to do? Do they start refunding customers without any meaningful answers from Apple if they will ever allow a modified app in the future? Riverturn cleverly entitled the post, "There's no app for that", mocking Apple's commercials for the iPhone declaring that there was an app for everything.

ATT initial PR response regarding the FCC letter

"AT&T does not manage or approve applications for the App Store. We have received the letter and will, of course, respond to it."

The unofficial Apple Weblog has a brief writeup on this, and also notes that AT&T admitted their involvement in keeping the slingbox app off of the iPhone.

Finally, Erick Schonfeld of TechCrunch.com has a nice writeup in the Washington Post: Why The FCC Wants To Smash Open The iPhone.

The FCC Friday sent out 3 letters to inquire about the nature of Apple's rejection of Google Voice (and Latitude) iPhone apps.

The actual letters are available as a matter of public record:

• FCC Letter to Apple LETTER (DA 09-1736)
  
• FCC Letter to AT&T LETTER (DA 09-1737)
• FCC Letter to Google  LETTER (DA 09-1739)

It would appear from the letters that the FCC is really trying to determine is whether or not there was any interaction between AT&T and Apple regarding these rejections to see if anti-competitive practices are at play.

But if the iPhone were not so popular would the government care?
Or is there something even more interesting going on with the FCC and other public response to Apple's play?

I don't follow politics much, but just going to church you see stuff like this, anyhow just a little humor in the morning for you. http://www.poe-news.com/features.php?feat=31845

And this is why we learned that the usual laws of supply and demand don't find their usual equilibrium with "rare goods". I would love for someone to explain to me how the gas cartel works some time. I am sure that the shell gas station owner who put this up in Menlo Park, Calif. would like to know as well. Its not up to him to decide, well unless he wants to sell for cost.

Source: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040518/1914/n0517105ajpg

Thanks to non-blogger Ant for sharing this story with me.